Medication dispensing and control unit

ABSTRACT

A medication and dispensing system tracks the medication of multiple users over time and preferably combines this information with periodic test results provided to the system. The system is designed to allow remote access electronically to authorized users whereby doctors or other medical professionals can review the data of actual medication dispensed and preliminary test results accumulated over time. Preliminary analysis of the data is conducted by the system to determine alert conditions. Such alert conditions include incorrect medication dispensing (i.e. failure to take a prescribed medication) and test results that warrant investigation. Many different types of alerts may be programmed into the software of the device.

This application is a continuation-in-part of International ApplicationNo. PCT/CA2011/000457, filed Apr. 26, 2011.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to medication and dispensing systems, andin particular to a medication and dispensing system that also providestracking of the medication over time in combination with periodic userconducted preliminary test results. Analysis of the medication regimeand test results can be automatically conducted and optionally remotelymanaged.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A number of different medication dispensing systems have been proposedfor home use to assist users in properly dispensing prescribedmedication at different times throughout the day and weeks. Thesesystems have not proven entirely effective and often requireconsiderable time to prepare and load medications into the device forproper dispensing. In addition the systems have not recognized or beenable to produce a commercial unit that provides for additional controland analysis in the home and preferably allows for remote access.

A medication dispensing system and control unit according to the presentinvention simplifies the loading of such a system and also allowsappropriate loading of a smaller medication organizer for the usersdaily requirements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a medication dispensing and control system according to the presentinvention a device is provided for receiving and controlling medicationcassettes and to dispense medication retained in a molded core of eachcassette. The device includes a computer controller for controllingoperation of the device and to maintain an electronic record ofmedication loaded and dispensed. A rotary drum for receiving medicationcassettes is provided at a load position of the rotary drum and the drumis movable to a dispensing position for sequential unloading of cells ofany of said medication cassettes.

The rotary drum includes a plurality of cassette receiving slots whereeach cassette is received in one of the plurality of cassette receivingslots. A drive arrangement for the rotary drum rotates the rotary drumand moves any received cassettes between the load position and thedispensing position. An extractor is provided for sequential withdrawalof the molded core of any cassette at the dispensing position. Adispensing container is provided at the dispensing position forreceiving dispensed medication suitable for a predetermined period. Thecomputer controller includes an input arrangement for receivinginformation associated with each received cassette and receivinginformation regarding medication to be dispensed for the predeterminedperiod. The computer controller controls the device to dispensemedication for the predetermined period at the dispensing position andinto the dispensing container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the medication dispensing and controlunit;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the medication dispensing andcontrol unit;

FIG. 2 a is an exploded perspective view showing the support of therotatable drum of the unit;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the working components of the medicationdispensing and control unit;

FIG. 4 is a further perspective view showing additional components ofthe medication dispensing and control unit;

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view showing the main moving componentsof the medication dispensing and control unit;

FIG. 6 is an end view of the medication dispensing and control unitshowing various components in an initial position;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the medication dispensing and control unitshowing the operation of upper and lower extractors and upper and lowersliders;

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view showing the rotatable drum of themedication dispensing and control unit and the drive and lockarrangement thereof;

FIG. 9 is a partial section view showing a locking arrangement for therotatable drum taken along line G-G of FIG. 13 with the drum rotating;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line H-H of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 shows further details of the locking mechanism and is asectional view taken along line G-G of FIG. 13 with the drum locked;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line I-I of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the rotatable drum along line C-C of FIG.7 and shows the drive mechanisms for the rotatable drum and themedication container;

FIG. 14 shows details of the drive for the rotatable drum and is asectional view along line D-D of FIG. 7;

FIG. 15 shows further details of the drive for the rotatable drum and isa sectional view along line E-E of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 shows details of the sensing arrangement for the position of therotatable drum and is an enlargement of Detail F of FIG. 13;

FIGS. 17 and 18 show details of a pressure sensing arrangement for adrive shaft of the unit with FIG. 18 showing Detail A of FIG. 7;

FIG. 19 is a partial schematic view showing the drive arrangement forthe upper and lower extractors of the medication dispensing and controlunit;

FIG. 20 is a view similar to FIG. 19 showing additional details of theupper and lower extractors;

FIG. 21 is a left end view of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is a partial perspective view showing details of the upper andlower sliders and a rotatable drive cam;

FIGS. 23 and 24 show additional details of the upper slider arrangement;

FIG. 25 is a sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 shows further details of the rotatable cam, the rotatable drumand a cassette lock arrangement;

FIG. 27 is a partial side view showing insertion of a cassette into areceiving slot of the rotatable drum;

FIG. 28 shows additional details of a cassette being inserted into therotatable drum and having a bias applied thereto by an ejector plunger;

FIG. 29 shows the ejection of a cassette from the rotatable drum;

FIG. 30 shows additional details of the release of the medicationcassette from the rotatable drum;

FIG. 31 is a partial side view showing details of the upper and lowerextractors and the ejector of the unit;

FIG. 32 is an end view showing the mechanism for rotating of the ejectorand the rotatable cam between the inoperative position shown to anoperative position for the purpose of counting pills;

FIG. 33 shows additional details of the counting of pills at a 12o'clock position of the rotatable drum;

FIG. 34 shows additional details of the counting of pills when amedication cassette is inserted in the device of plane A of FIG. 35;

FIG. 35 is a perspective view showing details of the counting of themedication;

FIG. 36 is an end view showing various components in position fordispensing medication;

FIG. 37 is a schematic showing the positioning of the extractors duringdispensing of medication;

FIG. 37 a shows details of a light sensor for detecting medication as itis being dispensed;

FIG. 38 is a partial side view showing the lower extractor engaging acassette for dispensing of medication and shows Detail A of FIG. 37;

FIG. 39 is a schematic type view illustrating detection of a dispensedpill relative to view B of FIG. 38;

FIG. 40 is a partial perspective view showing the rotatable drum and therotation of baffles associated with the rotatable drum for dispensing ofmedication and generally are similar to View B of FIG. 38;

FIG. 41 shows a series of positions of the baffle for dispensing ofmedications;

FIG. 42 is a partial perspective view showing a medication containerbeing ejected from the medication dispensing and control unit;

FIG. 43 is a perspective view of the preferred medication cassette; and

FIG. 44 is a perspective view of the medication cassette where thecartridge of the cassette is partially withdrawn from the sleeve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The medication dispensing and health assessing system 2 shown in FIG. 1is provided to assist one or more users in dispensing of medication,tracking of medication and providing a preliminary assessment withrespect to the user's ongoing health. The health assessment provisioncan be added at a later point in time if not provided with the originalunit. For many patients tracking and assisting in daily medication needsmay be sufficient. In other circumstances the capability to track testresults relative to medication dispensed, can be of great assistance ininvestigating for example sudden changes in health.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system 2 includes a medication cassette inputport 4 in one end of a housing 5, and as will be subsequently described,a series of prepackaged medication cassettes are received in therotatable drum 40 (FIG. 2) for controlled dispensing of medication. Auser interface 6, in this case a touchscreen input module, is providedon a front face of the system to allow a user to input criticalinformation and to interact with and instruct the system. A series ofinput/output connections 8 are provided below the user interface 6.These connections 8 allow the system to connect with other devices forinputting information (including test results) and/or outputtinginformation including communication signals (including signalscontaining collected information for medical review).

The test input module 20 includes a connection for blood analysis 21, aconnection for urine analysis 22, a connection for blood pressureassessment 23, an ECG test 24, an oxygen test 25 as well as temperatureassessment 26. Typically these connections provide inputs for each ofthese tests and other connectable devices perform these functions. Theresults of these tests are received and retained in the system 2 and areavailable in combination with the particular medication dispensingregimes that occur over time and are tracked by the user. This allowsimproved time analysis of medications and any side effects or changes inconditions and a preliminary assessment of the user's health. These andother test functions are tracked by the system.

One of the advantages of the present system is the ability to perform anumber of relatively simple tests at different points in time and tomaintain the results of such tests. For example, a user may take certainmedications at different times throughout the day and it may bedesirable to conduct these tests at least once a day or perhaps at atime associated with each dispensing of medication. This combinedinformation associated with the actual medication that has beendispensed, as well as the test results conducted over time, provide anaccurate record of information not normally available. This informationremains stored in the system and can be communicated to a doctor orother medical service provider if required. The system 2 can carry out apreliminary computer analysis to provide daily or ongoing alerts andprovide feedback through the user interface to the user or to a remotecontact person. As can be appreciated dispensing of medication andoptionally tracking of test results occur to provide a history ofinformation that may be helpful as part of an ongoing or selectivemedical assessment.

Pre-authorized contacts can electronically receive this information (forexample, through internet/telephone transmissions). Also the user canreceive communications from remote medical professionals by a suitableelectronic communication to the device or directly to the user. Thesecommunications can be alerts or an alert message that furtherinvestigation is needed.

The system 2 monitors for compliance/non-compliance of the medicationregime of different users and includes a remote communication of theseresults. For example, for an elderly patient living independently, afamily member could be authorized to receive automatic reports regardingdaily medication or to receive an alert in the event of non-compliance.Similarly, test results can be provided. In this way tracking ofmedication and actual results can be used to provide earlyidentification of problems or changes in health. In addition the systemcan act as a reminder for medication that is not stored such as eyedropsetc. Also scheduled tests and/or appointments can be tracked andcommunicated to the system and tracked.

The system also allows for the manual entry of symptoms, aches andpains, or side effects to provide additional documented information. Thesystem is also capable of wireless communication with alert braceletsetc. for emergency contact. For example, if a person fell atransmitter/receiver carried by the person could be actuated to provideemergency assistance through the telecommunication capabilities of thesystem 2.

Testing may be carried out by the user when a side effect or change isbeing experienced to provide better information for subsequent analysis.At the present time, these results are only tracked if a user hasexperienced a problem and a medical professional is investigating.Typically the user is in a health facility to provide these results. Thepresent system avoids or reduces or supplements this procedure for manypatients.

The medication dispensing and health assessing system 2 is designed toassist a user with respect to daily dispensing of medication and also,in combination with other existing equipment, to perform simplemonitoring tests and recording of information as generally describedabove. The system provides preliminary analysis. Authorized medicalpersonnel can access the device remotely as may be required from time totime or as part of an assessment of a current or recent change.

A further advantage of the system is to allow a synergistic function ofthe dispensing and testing functions. For example in case of high bloodpressure medication and testing, a variable dispensing of medication canbe prescribed by a doctor to address a possible outcome recognized bythe doctor and programmed in the system. For example in the event ofdetected high blood pressure exceeding a certain point, the system maytemporarily dispense an additional medication to address this problemand communicate the same to the doctor. In this example the doctor knewof the possibility of excessive high blood pressure and basicallyprescribed for a normal and an excessive condition to be determined bytesting. As can be appreciated this principle can be used in othercircumstances to tailor medication to meet the conditions determined bytesting monitored by the system.

The preferred medication cassette is disclosed in co-pending Canadianapplication 2,646,029 filed Dec. 9, 2008 incorporated herein byreference. The medication cassette 50 includes an outer sleeve 52 incombination with a sliding core 54. The sliding core 54 has a series ofcells 56. For convenience the medication cassette is shown in FIGS. 43and 44. Preferably the medication cassette includes a RFID tagidentifying information regarding the user, the medication and dosageetc that is read or determined by the medication and dispensing systemwhen inserted in the system.

The medication cassette 50 preferably is preloaded for a particularpatient and can be inserted through the cassette input port 4 shown inFIGS. 1 and 2. Full details of the medication cassette, per se, are notrequired to understand the operation of the medication dispensing andhealth assessing system 2. It is sufficient to say that the medicationcassette can be preloaded with a particular medication and the cassettecan have different configurations of cells provided in the sliding coreor cartridge 54 that slides within the sleeve 52. The medicationdispensing and health assessing system 2 receives this cassette andappropriately process it, as will be subsequently described. Thecassette preferably includes machine recognized information includingidentification of the medication, the patient and the dosage regime.This information can be provided in a number of different mannersincluding labeling, querying, electronic tagging, downloading ofinformation, etc. The cartridge 54 also includes spring arms 58 ateither end of the sliding core 54 that are moved inwardly to allow oneset of the spring arms and the ending of the sliding core 54 to enterthe outer sleeve 52 to allow dispensing of medication at the oppositeend of the sleeve.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the medication dispensingsystem 2 and illustrates the assembly of the overall system and thecomponents and functions of the device. As shown in FIG. 2, the deviceincludes a support base 30 with a support end member 34 and a cover 32at opposite ends of the housing. Support end member 34 also includes anend cover 36. A rotatable drum 40 forms one of the critical componentsof the system and this drum is rotatably supported on a support shaft600 extending from end member 34 towards the metal support member 60.

Rotatable drum 40 is basically supported on a stationary interiorsupport shaft 600 in combination with component support member 604 shownin FIG. 2 a. The component support member includes a center port 605that is secured to the end of support shaft 600. The rotatable drumincludes its own interior bearing 602 rotatably supporting the drum onsupport shaft 600. As shown in the cutaway drawing of FIG. 22 theinterior bearing 602 supports rotatable drum 40 on the support shaft 600and capture the drum between end member 34 and component support member604(see FIG. 2 a). Basically component support member 604 receives theend surface 606 of the support shaft 600 and serves to maintain therotary drum on the rotary shaft with very little end to end play. Thedrum gear 610 effectively controls the position of the drum on thesupport shaft 600 and is used to appropriately position the drum. End612 of the component support member 604 is supported at its free end bythe metal support member 60 shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 22 the end support member 34 also supports therotatable cam 620 having the cam surface 622. The cam drive gear 624(see FIG. 3 a and FIG. 22) controls the position of the rotatable cam620 and it also controls the position of the bifurcated actuating arm626. In FIG. 22 the end support member 34 is shown partially cut away.The bifurcated actuating arm 626 (FIG. 3) includes two rollers (627,629) at the free ends of the arm which contact the cam surface 628 ofthe pivoting shutter 630. The shutter 630 is spring biased to close theaccess port 4 a in the end support member 34. The shutter 630 alsocloses the port 4 in the cover 36. In the position shown in FIG. 3 a theshutter 630 closes the passageway between ports 4 and 4 a and maintainsthese ports closed until the bifurcating arm 626 causes the shutter 630to pivot about shaft 631 opening ports 4 and 4 a such that a medicationcassette can pass through ports 4 and 4 a into a slot of the drum. Thisopening of the ports is timed to the position of the bifurcated arm 626with the cam surface 628. The rotatable cam 620 is driven by areversible motor and the shutter 630 remains closed unless a cassette isto be loaded or ejected from the rotatable drum.

With the arrangement as described, the end support member 34 supportsthe support shaft 600 and the end of the support shaft is also supportedby the metal support 60 through the component support member 604. Therotary drum at one end of the system 2 accommodates receipt ofmedication cassettes and the space to the opposite side of the rotarydrum is used to access the cartridges 54 of the cassettes at the 12o'clock and 6 o'clock positions for checking and dispensing ofmedication respectively.

The rotary drum 40 preferably includes eight slots 700 (see FIG. 6)distributed about the periphery of the drum. As can be appreciated lessslots are possible for a lower capacity system and the system can workwell with 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 slots. Each slot receives a medicationcassette therein and provides a significant capacity of medication to bedispensed. Basically the sleeve of the cassette is fully received in therotary drum and the locking spring arm members 58 of the cartridgeextend either side of the drum. Initial insertion of a cassette into aslot causes inward camming of the first spring arms due to the shapethereof. Once the cassette is properly received the spring arms areaccessible for release of the cartridge. One set of the spring armsadjacent the support member 34 must be forced inwardly to allow thecartridge of the cassette to slide partially through the drum either forcounting of the medication in the cells or for sequential dispensing ofmedication stored in the cells of the cassette as will be laterdescribed.

As can be appreciated from a review of FIGS. 1 and 2, the input port 4is at a 45 degree angle of advance relative to top dead center of thedrum. Thus the medication cassettes are loaded through the ports 4 and 4a when a slot 700 is aligned with the ports and the shutter 630 is movedto the clear position. Basically the user pushes the cassette into port4 and into a slot 700 of the rotary drum. There is a spring bias appliedagainst the cassette to provide some resistance and the medicationcassette is moved outwardly if it is not fully received in the drum.When the medication cassette is properly received in the drum it iseffectively locked in the drum and the drum can then be moved to one ofthe two working positions (12 o'clock or 6 o'clock) in addition to thecartridge receipt position.

The 12 o'clock position is used to allow counting of the medicationwithin the cells of the cassette. The cassette includes machine readableinformation regarding the patient for whom the medication is destined aswell as the details regarding the storage of the medication within theindividual cells of the cassette. These cassettes include different cellconfigurations to accommodate different sizes of medication andtherefore the device is provided with information regarding the cassetteconfiguration. The device progressively withdraws the cartridge from thesleeve at the 12 o'clock position to scan and confirm that a pill is ineach cell of the cassette if it has been filled. Once the medication hasbeen counted and confirmed, the cartridge is returned into the drum andis fully received within its own sleeve and will rotate with the drum.

The 6 o'clock position of the drum is used to allow dispensing ofmedication within a particular cassette. Basically the cartridge ispartially withdrawn at the 6 o'clock position and the drum is controlledsuch that each cell of the medication cassette in each row of thecassette is progressively exposed. In this way the individual cells aresequentially uncovered and any medication within the particular cell isdispensed by gravity into a receiving receptacle. This receivingreceptacle is designed to receive the medication in a container suitablefor the end user. For example, the medication may be for a particularday or time period. It is common to load a patient's daily dosage ofmedication in individual cells labeled for the appropriate times.

In order to accomplish these functions the system includes top andbottom extractors at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions to effectively allowwithdrawal of a cartridge from the sleeve and reinsertion thereof. Thetop extractor sequentially exposes each row of cells at the 12 o'clockposition and a light scan confirms that medication is received in eachcell as specified in the electronic information. At the 6 o'clockposition sequential dispensing of medication in each cell of a rowoccurs. As can be appreciated the top and bottom extractors effectivelywithdraw the cartridge of a cassette from the drum to allow theappropriate steps to be carried out and these extractors also allow thecartridge to be reinserted into the drum. The extractors have a commondrive but only one extractor is working at any point in time. The devicealso includes a biasing and a release arrangement to allow a dispensedmedication cartridge to be aligned with the output ports 4 and 4 a andejected from the drum under the assistance of an ejector.

With the present system, the medication cassettes are inserted by handthrough the port 4 and into an appropriate slot 700 of the rotating drum40. As part of the insertion of the cassette it is important toaccurately locate the medication cassette within the drum. In thepresent system the cassette is inserted against a spring force where aplunger type member is biased against a spring as the cassette is beingmanually pushed into the appropriate slot within the rotatable drum. Aspring latch 1100 of the rotary drum 40 (FIGS. 27 and 28) operates toappropriately lock the sleeve of the medication cassette and also thecartridge of the cassette in a predetermined loaded position within thedrum. FIGS. 27 and 28 show the medication cassette being inserted into aslot 700. The rotatable cam 620 is partially shown in the figures and isused to control a number of components including the spring latch 1100during ejection of a loaded cassette from the rotatable drum.

Each of the slots for receiving a medication cassette includes thespring latch 1100. This spring latch includes a cam face 1102 thatengages the end of the cassette and cams upwardly as the cassette ispushed into the appropriate slot. This allows the latch edge 1103 tomove to a raised position. As shown in FIG. 28 the latch edge 1103 willsnap inwardly engaging the end 53 of the sleeve 52 once the cartridge isproperly received in the drum 40. This allows the latch edge 1103 tomove to a raised position. The spring latch 1100, when latch edge 1103has moved inwardly, acts as a stop for the end 53 of the sleeve 52. Aspring bias is exerted by the rotatable ejector arrangement 1500. Theejector arrangement 1500 exerts a force on the cartridge 54 of themedication cassette 50 and as this cartridge is effectively stoppedagainst the spring latch 1100, the cartridge is accurately positioned inthe rotatable drum.

To release a cartridge, a spring latch actuator shown as 1150 slides onrod 1152 and is biased by spring 1153 such that the roller 1154 is urgedagainst the rotatable cam 620 (see FIG. 30). The actuator 1150 whenforced to the left by the rotatable cam 620 causes the roller 1156 toengage the spring latch 1100 and move the latch upwardly. This upwardmovement of the spring latch 1100 releases the cartridge that is biasedby the spring force of the ejector arrangement 1500 and moves partiallyout of the receiving slot of the drum. As will be further described, theejector plunger is then driven towards the right to further eject themedication cassette from the drum. This ejection of the medicationcassette is carried out once the medication in a cassette has been fullydispensed or an instruction signal has been received to remove theparticular medication cassette.

FIG. 30 shows the rotatable cam 620 and the roller 1156 is also visiblein the drawing. The spring latch arrangement 1100 is associated witheach slot and each slot cooperates with the latch actuator 1150 when itis in the 45 degree position in advance of top dead center. FIG. 30shows the position of the spring latch 1100 during ejection of thecassette and as can be seen the roller 1156 has now engaged surface 1102of the spring latch and has biased the spring latch upwardly to allowejection of the cassette. The rotatable cam 620 is in engagement withthe roller 1154 and has caused this particular movement to allow themedication cassette to be manually or automatically removed from thedrum.

As can be appreciated from a review of FIGS. 27, 28, 29 and 30, therotatable cam 620 is rotated to cause a desired movement of a springlatch 1100 used to lock a medication cassette in the rotatable drum oncethe cassette has been fully inserted therein. A spring bias iscontinually exerted against the cassette during insertion and the springlatch accurately determines the lengthwise position of the medicationcassette in the drum.

Other arrangements can be used for accurate positioning of a medicationcassette within the drum however this arrangement makes use of therotatable cam that is also used for the movement of other componentsincluding the shutter latch 630 and the sliders. FIGS. 28, 29 and 30show the relationship of the rotatable cam 620 and the roller 1156relative to the insertion slot.

Once a medication cassette has been appropriately inserted into therotatable drum 40, the ejector arrangement 1500 is rotated out of theway to a clear position adjacent the exterior of the drum. The drum isrotated to move the cassette to the 12 o'clock position. At the 12o'clock position the cartridge of the medication cassette issequentially withdrawn and scanned to provide an electronic signal ofthe details of the medication stored therein. This information anddetails of the particular type of cassette are automatically entered inthe computer system of the device. To conduct the scan, the cartridge isprogressively withdrawn from the sleeve to extend beyond the oppositeend of the rotary drum. The cartridge is sequentially withdrawn toexpose each row of cells.

FIGS. 33, 34 and 35 show partial removal of the cartridge 52 as it iswithdrawn from the rotatable drum 40. The individual cells 55 of thecartridge 54 have a light beam arranged for passing the generallytransparent bottom of the cartridge 54 such that light emitted byemitters 1302 and 1304 towards the mirror 1306 is deflected downwardlyinto each cell. Each of the light emitters includes a light beam used toscan two cells of a four cell row cartridge. A movable baffle of therotary drum 40 allows sequential exposure of the cells that is laterdescribed. It is possible to use four light emitters one for each cell.In the embodiment shown the light emitters are appropriately activatedsuch that each cell can be considered independently. In any event a pillwithin one of the individual cells being scanned interrupts the lightbeam and thus interrupts the light which is returned to the lightreceiver 1306. This light receiver separately evaluates the lightsignals thereby confirming that a particular pill of medication ispositioned within each of the cells. As can be appreciated the lightdeflected downwardly by mirror 1305 also cooperates with a mirror 1307on the underside of the cartridge to direct the light rearwardly to thelight receiver 1306. Thus there is a light passage above the cartridgeand a light passage below each cartridge whereby light transmitted fromthe light emitters 1302 and 1304 finds its way to the light receiver1306 unless interrupted by a pill. A top extractor 1700 sequentiallyremoves the cartridge 52 from the rotatable drum 40 until all cells 55are progressively scanned.

Before the cartridge 54 may be removed or pulled outwardly of therotatable drum 40 it is necessary to disengage the spring arms 58 of thecartridge adjacent the opposite end of the drum (i.e. at the end of thedrum adjacent the input port). This disengagement is shown in FIGS. 22through 26. The rotatable cam 620 is also used to control a top slideactuator 1360 which is forced by the rotatable cam 620 from right toleft towards the drum and parallel to the axis of the drum (see FIG.23). This causes a pair of rollers 1362 and 1364 to engage the springarms 58 of the cartridge 52 and forces the spring arms inwardly. As canbe seen, rollers 1362 and 1364 are located on the slider 1366 whichincludes the roller 1368 in engagement with cam 620 to force the slidertowards the cartridge and the drum. The slider 1366 is also springloaded to be biased against the cam surface. In this way, the slideactuator 1360 automatically retracts when it is not necessary to engagethe spring arms to allow the cartridge to move out of the drum. Asimilar lower slider actuator 1370 for movement of cassette spring armsis provided at the 6 o'clock position to again engage the spring armsand allow withdrawal of the cartridge to allow for dispensing.

Additional details of the top and bottom slide actuators are shown inFIGS. 24 and 25. The cam 620 engages the roller 1368 of the upper slideror roller 1368 b of the lower slider to cause the slide actuator to moveand cause rollers 1362 and 1364 of the upper slider or rollers 1362 band 1364 b of the lower slider to engage the spring arms and push theminwardly. A similar release of the spring arms is carried out at the 6o'clock position and is controlled by the cam 620 and the lower slideractuator 1380.

The 6 o'clock position of the rotary drum is the working positionassociated with dispensing of the medication from a cassette and loadingthe same into a particular medication container shown as 1400 in FIGS.40 and 42. There are several distinct aspects of the rotary drum thatallow individual cells of the medication cassette to be dispensed bygravity into the medication container. This cell by cell dispensingallows effective counting or confirmation of the medication as it fallsfrom the cartridge supported by the rotary drum to the receivingmedication container 1400 that preferably also includes individual cellsor groups of cells. The rotary drum 40 includes baffles 1420 that in thepreferred embodiment form a ¾ extension of each receiving slot topartially cover a row of cells. ¼ of the baffle not covering one cell ofthe row allows dispensing of that cell merely by withdrawal of thecartridge to automatically expose that cell. The remaining cells of therow are covered.

To allow dispensing of the additional cells of the row the baffle member1420 is progressively moved to expose the cells of the row. Thismovement of the baffle is possible in that the drum is a two part drumand the second part includes the baffle members and is partiallyrotatable relative to the body of the drum and rotatable relative to thereceived medication cassette. Basically the opposite end of the drum islocked or held against rotation and the baffle end of the drum is thenrotated to cause rotation of the baffle and the exposure of the nextcell of the cartridge. The system preferably has previously determinedor confirmed the number of cells per row and thus if there are only twocells the appropriate rotation will occur, whereas in four cells per rowa reduced rotation would occur. In this way, movement of a row of thecassettes to the dispensing position as shown in FIG. 41 a allows atleast one cell of the cassette to be open as the baffle does not coverall cells. This is the preferred arrangement although the baffle couldcover all cells initially however the amount of rotation of the end ofdrums having the baffles relative to the locked drum would have toincrease.

To dispense medication one end of the drum is locked. The opposite endof the drum having the baffles is rotated such that the baffle at the 6o'clock position is progressively rotated to expose the cells of therow. Release of the baffle will cause the spring member 1450 (FIG. 40)to again realign the baffles with the drum. Appropriate stops areprovided between these components to bring the baffles back to theinitial position. These stops are not specifically described. Once thebaffle is realigned, the lower extractor 1700 a will then move thecartridge to position the next row of cells for dispensing and theprocess is repeated. As can be appreciated, the carriage for thereceiving medication container 1400 is also accurately controlled andwill position the container such that the medication being dispensedfalls by gravity into the appropriate cell of the medication container.In this way a series of pills can be dispensed, for example themedication for a particular user for a particular day can all bereceived in the container 1400 and each medication is provided in aseparate cell and perhaps has a time designation for taking of themedication.

FIGS. 37, 37 a, 38 and 39 show the gravity feed of the pills as they arebeing dispensed into the medication container 1400 and a light beam ispositioned across the dispensing gap 1429 (FIGS. 37 and 38) toeffectively detect the medication as it passes through and into thecontainer 1400. This provides accurate tracking and control of themedication from the loading of the cassette through to the individualdispensing of pills into the receiving medication container 1400.

The locking of the rotary drum 40 in a desired position to allow partialrotation of the baffle members 1420 is shown in FIGS. 8 through 12 wherethe drum locking mechanism 1800 cooperates with the locking slots 1810associated with the rotary drum and provided on one end of the rotarydrum adjacent the support member 34. The locking mechanism 1800 includesa taper-shaped plunger 1812 which is inserted within the locking slots1810 and this provides effective alignment of the drum and simplifiesthe accurate positioning of the drum. The locking mechanism 1800 ismoved to a release position by the motorized carriage 169 a for themedication container 1400. The carriage 169 a when the drum is to berotated moves the plunger 1812 to a release position against a springbias of the plunger. The carriage 169 a is moved to a release positionfor example to position the container 1400 for receiving pills and theplunger 169 a under its spring bias will lock the drum. The taperedplunger effectively accurately locates one of the medication cassettesat the 6 o'clock position and locks the drum such that the other end ofthe drums with the baffle members can effectively be partially rotatedagainst a spring bias of the drum for dispensing of medication in theindividual cells.

FIGS. 33 to 39 show movement of the top and bottom extractors used topull or push the cartridges in and out of the sleeves. These extractorsare movable relative to the drum 40 and can be positioned adjacent thedrum to engage or grip the end of the medication cassette. Themedication cassette is rotated into the finger gap of each extractorsuch that there is a top portion 1700 and an L-shaped hook 1702 that isreceived into gap 1710 of the cartridge. The spring arms are releasedafter the core has been engaged by the extractor. The core is then freeto be withdrawn to either allow for the visual inspection of themedication in the individual cartridge at the 12 o'clock position or themovement of the cartridge for dispensing a medication at the 6 o'clockposition. The extractors also serve to return the cartridge to the fullyreceived position after the particular process has been completed.Rotation of the drum will then effectively rotate the ends of thecartridge out of the engaging members of one of the extractors and thenext cassette is appropriately rotated into engagement with theextractor. The extractors are linked by a gear train but move inopposite directions. With this arrangement only one extractor isfunctioning at any given time. This provides a simple approach where theextractors are basically in a fixed position in the vertical plane andare movable horizontally typically by a screw drive arrangement.

The overall function of the system 2 has been described however thespecific mechanics thereof have not been described in detail. Thefollowing will discuss more details of the structure and the control ofthe different components.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rotatable drum 40 is supported by the endsupport 34 and the metal support member 60. The metal support member 60also includes four motors 161 a, 161 b, 161 c and 161 d. Motor 161 a asshown in FIG. 5 controls the carriage 169 a associated with themedication container 1400. As can be seen, the carriage motor drivesgear 163 a that rotates gear 165 a associated with the screw shaft 167a. The carriage 169 a moves along the screw shaft 167 a. In this way themedication container 1400 moves essentially the full length of thesystem 2. The carriage 169 a includes an end face 170 a that can bemoved to shift the V-shaped plunger used to lock the drum to a clearposition. When the carriage is not present the V-shaped plunger 1812 isthen free to move and engage the locking slots 1810 of the drum 40.

Motor 161 b controls rotation of the rotary drum. Drive gear 163 bdrives a gear 165 b on the drive shaft 167 b and eventually drives gear164 b which rotates the large ring gear 171 b of the drum. Gear 165 bincludes drive lugs 237 b that drive surfaces 239 b of a drive member241 b secured to drive shaft 167 b (see FIGS. 14 and 15).

Motor 161 c includes a drive arrangement for controlling rotation of thecam 620. This drive train includes gear 163 c, gear driving shaft gear165 c which in turn drives shaft 167 c and through a drive train 169 cdrives the cam gear 171 c. In this way accurate positioning of therotatable cam 620 is accomplished. Motor 161 d effectively controls thepair of extractors and additional details of this will be provided inthe subsequent drawings. Each of the motors includes opto couplers 175 athrough d to accurately track the position of the drives.

The rotatable cam 620 and its drive gear 171 c are also shown in FIG. 6.The drive gear 171 c is connected via a gear train 177 c to control theposition of gear 179 c and the ejector arrangement 1500. Gear 179 cincludes the ejector slide shaft 1502 that supports the ejector arm 1504having the ejector plunger 1506 at an end thereof. Rotation of gear 179c causes the position of the ejector plunger 1506 to change. The geartrain 177 c has a four to one ratio relative to the cam drive gear 171 cand control of 171 c can cause the ejector plunger 1506 to rotate fromthe position shown in FIG. 6, 180 degrees to position the ejector forreceiving of a cassette and also positioned for ejection of a cassette.Basically the ejector arrangement 1500 is controlled to allow rotationof the ejector plunger 1506 to the clear position shown in FIG. 6. Thisprovides additional room for other functions to be carried outessentially by the extractors to one side of the rotatable drum. As willbe further described, the motor for the extractors is also used to drivethe ejector and to control the position and provide a stop surface forthe ejector and to assist in the ejection of the cassette from therotary drum.

Returning to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the metal support member 60supports the drive motors 161 a through d and also supports a structurewhich effectively supports the drum. Additional details of the positionof the motors are illustrated in FIG. 3 a and FIG. 4. As shown in FIGS.2 and 3, the ejector plunger 1506 is supported on an arm 1504 andincludes a spring bias 1508 for urging the ejector arrangement 1500towards the metal support plate 60 when the ejector arrangement isrotated to an operating position during loading or unloading of amedication cassette.

FIG. 8 shows the relationship of the carriage 169 a with the drum lockmechanism 1800. The end 170 a of the carriage 169 a is movable in thedepth of the device to strike the downwardly extending arm 1805 of thedrum lock mechanism 1800. In FIG. 8 the drum lock mechanism 1800 isshown in an engagement position locking the rotatable drum 40. The drumincludes a series of locking slots 1810 for locking of the drum invarious positions. As shown in FIG. 8 the drum lock mechanism 1800includes the plunger 1812 received in one of the locking slots 1810. Thecarriage 169 a is controlled by the motor 161 b to effectively move thedrum lock mechanism 1800 to a release position by forcing the carriage169 a to move to the right and move the drum lock mechanism 1800 to arelease position thus freeing the locking plunger 1812 from one of thelocking slots 1810.

With the right end of the drum 40 locked as shown in FIG. 8 the motor161 b is capable of rotating the drum ring gear 171 b to control theposition of the baffles. The ring gear 171 b can be partially rotated onthe drum 40 and this rotation is accommodated by the bias spring 1450.This essentially allows dispensing of pills one at a time as will besubsequently described. It also allows sequential scanning of cells atthe 12 o'clock position.

The stop arrangement 1800 also includes a stop sensor 1814 to indicatewhether the stopper arrangement 1800 is in an engaged position or arelease position. Additional details of the stop arrangement 1800 areshown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

In FIG. 9 the drum lock mechanism 1800 is shown with the stopper plunger1812 in a position clear of the locking slot 1810 of the drum 40. Thecarriage 169 a has moved the drum lock mechanism 1800 to the releaseposition. The motor 161 c for the rotary drum 40 basically tracks theposition of the drum using the opto coupler however the precise positionthereof can vary due to tolerances and wear, etc. To overcome ormitigate these variances, the stopper plunger 1812 is V-shaped andserves to cause partial rotation of the drum to effect exact positioningthereof relative to the drum lock mechanism 1800. This is partiallyshown in FIG. 10 where the drum has been stopped but is not perfectlyaligned with the stopper plunger 1812. The drive of the motor 161 caccommodates a certain degree of rotation of the drum from a givenposition to an aligned position. Release of the stopper lug 1812 toengage the locking slot 1810 on the drum will cause a correctingrotation of the rotary drum to precisely locate the drum in the desiredposition aligned with the stopper plunger 1812. The v-shaped plunger1812 effectively acts as a cam and causes the correcting rotation. Thiscorrecting rotation can be appreciated from a review of FIGS. 11 and 12where the v-shaped plunger has now been fully received within thelocking slot 1810. A partial rotation of the drum has occurred.

FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 illustrate a particular drive arrangement for therotary drum that includes the capability of the drum to partially rotatein the opposite direction. This is shown as an idle angle of rotation231 in FIG. 14. Motor 161 b drives the drive gear 163 b. This in turndrives the gear 165 b having integral drive lugs 237 c. Gear 165 b isfreely rotatable on shaft 167 b. Drive lugs 237 b contact drive surfaces239 b of drive member 241 b secured to drive shaft 167 b. The optocoupler accurately positions the drum in a stop position but there maybe the requirement to additionally locate the drum by means of thestopper lug. The tolerance angle 231 b where the lugs 237 b can separatefrom the drive surfaces 239 b within the drive member 241 b to allow thelimited movement of the rotary drum 40 to effect precise alignment ofthe drum with the extractors or other working positions of the drum.Thus the v-shaped plunger 1812 will cause drive lugs 237 b to moverelative to the surfaces 239 b of drive member 241 b during precisealignment of the drum on the drum lock mechanism 1800. This drivearrangement is also shown in FIG. 15. The tolerance or limited clutchtype drive arrangement overcomes the precision that might otherwise benecessary by the drive motors and the drive train. The opto couplertracking the drive train does provide accurate initial positioning ofthe drum however the additional limited rotation of the drum isaccommodated by the tolerance angle. Basically the drum is alwaysrotated to a position such that the correction can occur in onedirection. This basically separates the drive train from the motor whichwould otherwise lock the system due to the relatively high gear ratio.As can be appreciated this provides a simple and effective mechanism foraccurately locating the drum and locking the same to allow dispensing ofpills, checking of medication cassettes for the appropriate number ofpills, as well as the insertion and removal of cassettes. All of thesefunctions require accurate positioning at the particular work positionsof the drum and a series of locking slots 1810 provided on the drum 40.

FIG. 19 shows the drive arrangement for the upper extractor 1700 and thelower extractor 1700 a. Details are also shown of a pressure sensingarrangement 1760 and 1760 a associated with each of the extractors. Eachof the upper and lower extractors is slidable along a guiderail systemand thus is movable towards or away from the drum. Either the upperextractor or the lower extractor is positioned adjacent the drum priorto rotation of the drum to bring a cassette to the 12 o'clock positionor the 6 o'clock position respectively. As shown in FIGS. 33 and 34 theupper extractor is controlled by the worm drive shaft 2200 and this wormdrive shaft 2200 includes a spring bias 2202 forcing the drive shafttowards the right and the spring force is also exerted against apressure sensor 2010. The upper extractor 1700 with its actuatingsurface 1702 received within a cassette cavity 1710 will have sometolerance variation to effectively allow the end of the cassette torotate and engage the extractor. This tolerance variation, if notaccounted for, may cause problems and reduces the accuracy of theposition of each row of cells relative to the drum and to the baffle toallow scanning or dispensing of individual cells. To overcome suchtolerance variations the pressure sensor 2010 basically has a springforce PS exerted on the pressure sensor at times when the extractor isnot withdrawing the cartridge from the medication cassette. As can beappreciated, when the screw drive of the extractor is rotated to causepartial withdrawal of the cartridge from the cassette, any toleranceclearance between the cassette and the extractor is taken up first. Oncethe extractor starts to pull on the cartridge the cartridge will exert asmaller force T (resistance of the cartridge) in the opposite directiondue to the drag of the cartridge. With this arrangement the force sensedby the pressure sensor 2010 suddenly changes and it is this appreciablechange in pressure force that is used to confirm that the cartridge isnow about to be withdrawn. As the width of the cells is known by thesystem, the extractor can then be moved the appropriate distance toexpose the next row of cells. As previously described, the medicationcassette had been inserted in the drum and forced to the right such thatthe position of the medication cassette within the drum is already knownand thus the distance for removal is known. With this arrangementaccurate withdrawal of the cartridge is accomplished.

The drive train 2040 and motor 161 d are also shown in FIG. 33 and thedirection of movement of the upper extractor 1700 relative to the lowerextractor 1700 a is in the opposite direction. In this way only one ofthe extractors operates at any given point in time. Additional detailsof the upper and lower extractors are shown in FIG. 34.

FIGS. 22 through 27 of the drawings exemplify the particular cooperationbetween the upper and lower sliders (1360, 1380), the cam 620 and therelease of the spring arms 58 of the medication cassette 50 at the 12o'clock and the 6 o'clock positions. Each of these sliders (1360, 1380)is spring biased against the cam 620 and the cam is rotatable to movethe sliders to cause release of the spring arms when the cam moves thesliders towards the rotary drum 40. The cam 620 is controlled by thedrive motor 161 c and the drive train associated therewith and thus theexact position of the cam 620 relative to the sliders is effectivelytracked. The actual movement of the upper slider relative to the springarms of the cassette is shown in FIG. 23 where it can be seen that thecam has now moved the slider into engagement with the spring arms 58 andthus the cartridge can be pulled into the sleeve and out the other endof the drum. Further details of the action on the sliders are shown inFIGS. 24 and 25.

FIG. 28 shows the additional structure used to essentially release thespring latch when a cassette is ejected. The spring latch automaticallyprovides a catch to maintain a medication cassette when fully insertedinto the drum. A spring force is exerted on the medication cassette bythe ejector mechanism during insertion into the rotary drum and thespring latch 1100 effectively provides an automatic latch for themedication cassette when properly inserted. If the cassette is not fullyinserted, the spring force of the ejector causes the cassette to moveoutwardly.

The mechanism shown in FIG. 28 is for release of this spring latch 1100during ejection of a cassette and is actuated by the roller 1156 forcingthe spring latch to a clear position.

FIG. 27 shows the further action of the spring latch 1100 when amedication cassette is being inserted into the drum. In this figure themedication cassette is about to engage a cam surface 1102 of the springlatch to push the spring latch upwardly. Once the cassette is fullyreceived the spring latch will move downwardly and thus act as a stopfor the medication cassette.

In FIG. 28 the ejector plunger 1506 has been rotated to an operativeposition and is now engaging the end of the medication cassette. Theejector plunger is itself spring biased and the plunger is compressedwithin the ejector by the cassette moving and locking with the drum. Theposition of the ejector plunger 1506 is controlled by the upperextractor arm 1710 engaging arm 1504 of the ejector arrangement. Thisacts as a stop and allows the plunger to compress. The motor 161 c whenappropriately driven to additionally cause rotation of the cam 620 willcause rotation of the ejector between the operative position of FIG. 28to a clear position as shown in the earlier figures.

FIG. 29 shows movement of the ejector plunger 1506 by the upperextractor being driven on its worm drive gear shaft. The ejector slideson its own guide rod 1502 and is driven by the upper extractor arm toeject the medication cassette out of the drum. Typically the cassettewill partially extend out of the drum whereafter the user completes thefull withdrawal thereof. As can be appreciated, this ejection of themedication cassette occurs when the drum is in the desired position andthis position is effectively locked by the locking mechanism previouslydescribed. As can be seen in FIG. 29 the cam 620 has caused the actuatorto move the spring lock to a release position such that the cassette canbe removed from the drum. Additional details of this action are shown inFIG. 30. The cam 620 has also caused the shutter to be open.

FIG. 31 illustrates the movement of the extractors and the cooperationof the upper extractor with the ejector arrangement 1500. The ejectorhas been rotated into an operative position and it includes its ownspring bias to move the ejector towards the metal support plate 60 andgenerally clear of a cassette. The upper extractor would have been movedto a position adjacent the metal support member 60 such that it canengage and drive the ejector arm 1504. The drive of the upper extractormoves the ejector arrangement 1500 towards the rotary drum and positionsthe ejector arrangement appropriately for either providing a spring biasfor the medication cassette during insertion into the rotary drum or forassisting in ejection of the medication cassette from the rotary drum.

FIG. 31 also shows two limit switches 3050 and 3052 which are used tosense the position of the extractors. These sensors are used to controlthe movement of the extractors and to maintain an assessment of theparticular positions thereof. The motor is stopped when one of theextractors is moved to cause actuation of one of these sensors. When oneextractor is at a limit switch the other extractor is in a loadingposition for engaging a medication cassette when aligned therewith.

FIGS. 33 through 35 show the upper extractor withdrawing a cassette inthe 12 o'clock position and confirming the medication received withinthe cassettes. As shown the light emitter transmits a light beam to themirror positioned over a particular cell and the light passes throughthe cell, hits a further mirror and can be sensed by the light receiver.As shown in FIG. 3, when a pill is located within the individual cellthe light beam is interrupted and thus presence of a pill is confirmed.If the cell is empty the light will pass through the light transmittingbottom portion of the cassette. Two light transmitters are shown and areused for scanning different cells of the medication cassette. The firstlight emitter can scan the first two cells of a row. To scan the firstcell the baffle covers cells 2, 3 and 4. To scan the second cell thebaffle is shifted to expose the second cell. If pills are present incells 1 and 2 the light is blocked. If cell 1 is empty and cell 2 has apill light received is essentially the same as for cell 1. If both cells1 and 2 are empty a higher amount of light is received. Scanning ofcells 3 and 4 is similar but the second light transmitter is used andthe baffle is moved for exposing cell 3 first followed by exposing cells3 and 4. Other arrangements for scanning of the medication cassettes canbe used.

FIG. 34 shows further movement of the cartridge of the cassette andseveral rows of cells of the medication cassette have already beencounted. As can be appreciated the first two rows of cells of thecassette are empty and light would have transmitted through these cellswhen the individual cells were scanned. Two rows of cells were processedand pills were confirmed as located therein and the fifth row of cellsis now being sensed and the light beam is being interrupted by thatparticular medication. This scanning of the medication can also assessthe size of the medication and compare the same versus a provided orpredetermined size.

FIG. 35 shows additional details of the medication cassette as it isbeing withdrawn at the 12 o'clock position for assessment of thecontents thereof.

FIGS. 36 through 41 show details of the dispensing of pills where thelower extractor is partially removing a cassette from the rotary drum.As shown in FIG. 37 the first cell of the medication cassette iseffectively opened and the pill is now dropping into the medicationcontainer. The pill basically passes through a light passage and a lightbeam is interrupted as the pill falls into the container. In this wayconfirmation of the dispensing of the pill is confirmed. The medicationcontainer has been appropriately located beneath a delivery chute andreceives the dispensed pill. Further details of this are shown in FIGS.38 and 39. FIG. 40 is a partial perspective view showing the withdrawalof the medication cassette from the rotary drum to allow dispensing ofthe pills contained in the individual cells.

The rotary drum 40 as previously described is made of two parts thatnormally rotate together and are maintained at a particular orientationby the spring member 1450. The drum can be locked at the end adjacentthe cam 620 and the opposite end of the drum that includes the baffles1420 can partially rotate to expose individual cells of the medicationcassette. Basically when the drum is locked the drive gear 171 b ispartially rotated the appropriate distance to sequentially exposeindividual cells of a row of cells. Once the pill has been dispensed,the gear is then rotated a further amount such that the baffle is movedto expose the next cell. Views a, b, c and d of FIG. 41 each show thisrotation of the baffle 1420 to individually expose cells. As can beappreciated each of these slots of the drum include their own baffle andthus pills are dispensed from the cells of the cassette one at a time.Once all pills of a row have been dispensed into the medicationcontainer the drive gear 171 b is returned and the spring causes thebaffle to again assume the normal position (FIG. 41 a) relative to thelocked portion of the drum. The extractor can then pull the medicationcassette outwardly to expose the next row of cells. In the embodimentshown the baffle 1420 is positioned to allow the first cell of a row tobe exposed and to allow gravity dispensing thereof. The dispensing ofthe next cell of the row requires movement of the baffle relative to thelocked drum.

The present invention includes four motors for driving variouscomponents of the system. The rotary cam 620 is used to control theshutter of the system, is used to control the position of the ejectorbetween an operating position and a clear position, is used to causeactuation of the upper and lower sliders, and additionally is used toallow release of a medication cassette from the rotary drum. The motorfor the upper and lower extractors not only controls the position ofthese extractors but it also is used to cause the upper extractor toappropriately act as a stop for the ejector when it is moved into theoperating position and is also used to move the ejector to assist in theejection of the medication cassette from the rotary drum. The motor forthe carriage for the medication container is not only used to controlthe position of the carriage as the medication container but it is alsoused to control the position of the spring biased drum lock arrangement.

The present arrangement provides effective control of both the loadingof medication cassettes for one user as well as confirmation of thecontents thereof. The device then provides accurate dispensing of themedication into an appropriate container provided on the carriage. Asshown in a number of the drawings the drive for the carriage is alsoused to allow the container to be removed from the device when it hasbeen appropriately loaded and to allow a subsequent container to beplaced on the carriage for loading.

The device includes various sensors and a computer control arrangementfor receiving information with respect to the particular medicationcassettes, the users and the medication dispensing requirements. Themedication cassettes preferably include their own readable informationregarding the user and the medication and dispensing instructions. Theability of the system to also receive test results for individual userstypically by auxiliary equipment is also beneficial in providing fulltracking of the medication dispensing regime and the tests that arereceived from time to time or on a predetermined basis. This provides anaccurate health record for the individual users. Such full tracking ofmedication dispensed and test results over time is believed to be uniquefor non-health care facilities. With this system accurate health recordsare recorded in the home that can assist medical professionals monitorhome care and/or assist in diagnostic evaluation if a change in healthoccurs. Such a change may be the result of failure to follow apredetermined medication regime.

Other features of the system can include automatic reminders toadminister non-dispensed items like eye drops, or to book or as areminder for medical tests, etc.; provide two ways video/audiocommunications with MD, etc.; and to provide security of operations byallowing access to authorized persons only via fingerprint sensor, byentering code, or other security code or feature.

The device can also be used for dispensing of non medical items wherecontrol and/or precision is required.

The ability of the system to receive medication dispensing instructions,track the dispensing and receive test results allows a medicalprofessional or other qualified person to input “What if” options wherethe dispensing regime can react to the actual measured conditions of theuser. Changes in the medication regime can be reported before or after aregime has been changed. The system can accept multiple forecasts orchanges that should be acted upon given certain test results. Thisallows dynamic response on certain possibilities that had beenrecognized by the advisor and preprogrammed. Various safeguards can beemployed including multiple tests, retesting prior to a change orelectronic instructions confirming the change by the advisor.

The ability of the system to track, test and preferably adjust orrespond to the patient's conditions represents a major shift or changein patient care. The standard of allows seeking medical advice thattypically requires further tests can now be superseded to significantlyreduce the time required in some situations for medical treatment andprovide timely information that previously has not been immediatelyavailable or available with confirmation of dispensed medication.

A further example of the integration of the system and test results iswith respect to a critical medication that is stored and only availablefor dispensing in a predetermined manner. For example if the testresults reveal a critical condition that was earlier considered as apossibility, a critical medication can be dispensed upon thepredetermined conditions are met. This can provide a very fast responsein a critical condition recognized by the onsite or in home unit. It isalso possible to have a medication replaced with an alternate medicationif certain predetermined conditions (programmed into the system andapproved by the medical professional) are met. Thus alternatemedications can be dispensed.

With this system high risk situations, can be programmed to allow almostimmediate response with the critical medication dispensed by the system.Medication variations and/or medication alternates can also beprogrammed for fast convenience response. The above situations have beendescribed relative to test results but other approaches included patientor user override are also possible. Such actions may require immediatereporting or an alert signal to a monitoring agency or medicalprofessional.

Microchip technology and in particular microchip technology associatedwith medical assessment, treatment and diagnostic capabilities haveincreased extensively and now are used to confirm that certainmedication has been taken on a daily basis and other routine functions,such as preliminary body testing or tracking. More sophisticatedapplications include providing a transmitter with a microchip that isswallowed or otherwise inserted into the body for providing detailedinformation with respect to a particular matter of interest. Forexample, microchips and local transmitters are now embedded in a capsulewhich is swallowed by a user to provide detailed assessment of thegastro track. Tracked information can include a number of sensors suchas temperature pH and rate of travel information to provide assessmentof the gastro track. This is helpful in diagnosing diseases such asCrone's disease or other diseases where the prior standard was toeffectively use invasive procedures and samples of the gastro track.Such microchip technology can also provide image information that allowsfor assessment for the medical professional.

The detailed information is transmitted by the transmitter and istypically received by an associated transmitter worn or carried by theuser. Thus the information can be over a particular period of time andwill provide a host of particular test points.

Much like a heart monitoring system where the data is provided to areceiver, the receiver could be returned to a medical outlet or lab forprocessing an assessment. In the present application, the microchiptechnology for use in providing medications monitoring and/or medicaltesting procedures is advantageously used and the data can be tracked bya device worn or carried by the user. This device can then be connectedto the medication processing unit and the information downloadedthereto. The communication capability of the device allows theinformation to be appropriately sent to medical authorities as well asinitial processing may be carried out on site.

To assist in the recording of this information the particular microchipand transmitter that is provided to the user for initiating this testcan also include information for entry into the medical tracking device.This information can include a database structure whereby the receivercan easily be connected to the device and the information isappropriately downloaded to the formed database.

Although this arrangement provides a simple approach for transmittingthe collected data to the appropriate doctor or doctors it also providesa record of this information for the user. It can also be appreciatedthat this type of technology allows for a relatively convenient secondtest to confirm the results from an earlier test. The medicationcassette system can also effectively conduct comparisons of the dataassuming the tests are the same to determine points of differences andan assessment of the accuracy of the test.

At the present point in time the technology continues to evolve and assuch the detailed information from a microchip based test is certainlyof value initially but may be of assistance in future assessment. As thedata is retained in its raw source and/or can be exported to anappropriate storage arrangement a user is provided with a simple methodfor allowing for a second opinion or a new assessment given that thetechnology may have changed over time.

It is believed that the microchip transmitter technology and themicrochip monitoring systems as presently proposed are advantageouslytracked with the present system to provide a more complete medicalrecord for the user.

Variations of this system will be apparent to a person skilled in thisart and are within the scope of the present invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. An automated system formedication dispensing and control comprising a computer processingarrangement; a medication receiving structure for receiving a series ofmedication cassettes assigned to at least one individual user; anarrangement for receiving information associated with each medicationcassette identifying at least a user, a quantity of medication and adosage regime; a computer database associated with said computerprocessor arrangement for storing said received information; amedication dispensing arrangement associated with said medicationreceiving structure for dispensing of individual dosages of medicationcontained in said cassettes and tracking of said dispensed dosages byuser in said computer database; a communication arrangement forconnecting test equipment to said system and entering and storing usertest results in said computer database; said computer processingarrangement including preliminary analysis of said dispensed medicationand said test results to identify alert conditions associated with auser with respect to events warranting further consideration; andwherein said medication receiving structure is a rotary drum rotatableabout a horizontal axis and said rotary drum includes a series ofcassette receiving slots adjacent a periphery of the rotary drum forreceiving said medication cassettes; said rotary drum being rotatablefor aligning said cassette receiving slots with a cassette loadingposition to load said cassettes and to align any received cassette witha dispensing station at a lower edge of said rotary drum for dispensingof medication.
 2. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said systemincludes a communication arrangement for sending of information to oneor more predetermined addresses stored in said computer database.
 3. Asystem as claimed in claim 2 wherein said system includes predeterminedalert conditions and said system automatically sends any detected alertconditions associated with any user to a predetermined address enteredin said database with respect to the specific user.
 4. A system asclaimed in claim 3 wherein said predetermined alert conditions includefailure to dispense a medication according to the dispensing regime. 5.A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said cassette receiving slots areat least 8 cassette receiving slots spaced about a periphery of saidrotary drum and each cassette receiving slot receives a medicationcassette.
 6. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said dispensingstation includes a medication container for receiving medication of auser for daily use and a displacement actuating controlled by saidcomputer processing arrangement to position said medication containerbeneath said dispensing station to receive medication into individualcells within said medication container.
 7. A system as claimed in claim6 including optical sensing associated with received medicationcassettes to confirm the contents thereof and optical sensing to confirma medication has been dispensed into a cell of said medicationcontainer.
 8. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said systemincludes monitored predetermined conditions for executing a variation ofa given medication dispensing regime.
 9. A system as claimed in claim 8wherein said variation of a given medication dispensing regime includesa change in dosage of a given medication or critical dispensing of anemergency medication or dispensing of an alternate medication.
 10. Asystem as claimed in claim 8 wherein said predetermined conditionsinclude monitored test results or a user input override or a combinationof monitored test results.
 11. In a medication dispensing and controlsystem a device for receiving and control of medication cassettes anddispensing of medication retained in a molded core of each cassette;said device including a computer controller for controlling operation ofsaid device and maintaining an electronic record of medication loadedand dispensed; a rotary drum for receiving medication cassettes at aload position of said rotary drum and movable to a dispensing positionfor sequential unloading of cells of any of said medication cassettes;said rotary drum including a plurality of cassette receiving slots whereeach cassette is received in one of a series of cassette receivingslots; a drive arrangement for said rotary drum to rotate said rotarydrum and move any received cassettes between said load position and saiddispensing position; an extractor provided at said dispensing positionfor sequential withdrawal of the molded core of any cassette at saiddispensing position; and a dispensing container at said dispensingposition for receiving dispensed medication suitable for a predeterminedperiod; and wherein said computer controller includes an inputarrangement for receiving information associated with each receivedcassette and receiving information regarding medication to be dispensedfor said predetermined period; said computer controller controlling saiddevice to dispense medication for said predetermined period at saiddispensing position and into said dispensing container.
 12. An automatedsystem for medication dispensing and control comprising a computerprocessing arrangement; a medication receiving structure for receiving aseries of medication cassettes assigned to at least one individual user;an arrangement for receiving information associated with each medicationcassette identifying at least a user, a quantity of medication and adosage regime; a computer database associated with said computerprocessor arrangement for storing said received information; amedication dispensing arrangement associated with said medicationreceiving structure for dispensing of individual dosages of medicationcontained in said cassettes and tracking of said dispensed dosages byuser in said computer database; an input arrangement for receiving testresults and tracking of said test results in said computer database; andwherein said medication receiving structure is a rotary drum rotatableabout a horizontal axis and said rotary drum includes a series ofcassette receiving slots adjacent a periphery of the rotary drum forreceiving said medication cassettes; said rotary drum being rotatablefor aligning said cassette receiving slots with a cassette loadingposition to load said cassettes and to align any received cassette witha dispensing station at a lower edge of said rotary drum for dispensingof medication.
 13. An automated system for medication dispensing andcontrol as claimed in claim 12 wherein said computer processingarrangement correlates said test results to the execution of a givenmedication dispensing regime.
 14. An automated system for medicationdispensing and control as claimed in claim 13 wherein said test resultsare correlated to a variation of a given medication dispensing regimeincluding a change in dosage of a given medication or criticaldispensing of an emergency medication or dispensing of an alternatemedication.
 15. An automated system for medication dispensing andcontrol comprising a computer processing arrangement; a medicationreceiving structure for receiving one or more medications assigned to atleast one individual user; an arrangement for receiving informationassociated with each medication identifying at least a user, a quantityof medication and a dosage regime; a computer database associated withsaid computer processor arrangement for storing said receivedinformation; a medication dispensing arrangement associated with saidmedication receiving structure for dispensing of individual dosages ofmedication and tracking of said dispensed dosages by user in saidcomputer database; a communication arrangement for connecting testequipment to said system and entering and storing user test results insaid computer database; said computer processing arrangement includingpreliminary analysis of said dispensed medication and said test resultsto identify alert conditions associated with a user with respect toevents warranting further consideration; and wherein said test equipmentincludes at least one data receiver associated with a microchip basedsensor; said data receiver receiving and accumulating sensed conditionsof said microchip sensor; said data receiver being connectible with saidcomputer processing arrangement and downloading said received and sensedconditions to said computer database and wherein said medicationreceiving structure is a rotary drum rotatable about a horizontal axisand said rotary drum includes a series of cassette receiving slotsadjacent a periphery of the rotary drum for receiving said medicationcassettes; said rotary drum being rotatable for aligning said cassettereceiving slots with a cassette loading position to load said cassettesand to align any received cassette with a dispensing station at a loweredge of said rotary drum for dispensing of medication.
 16. An automatedsystem as claimed in claim 15 wherein said data receiver receives andaccumulates sensed conditions detected by a consumable microchip capsulesensor.
 17. An automated system as claimed in claim 16 wherein saidsensed conditions include detected physical conditions of the user. 18.An automated system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said arrangement forreceiving information associated with each medication includes aseparate database form for receiving information to be received from amicrochip based sensor and uses said separate database form for storingof received information associated with the microchip based sensor.